Jodie Foster has revealed that she almost making Anna and The King because she was worried about her little boy, 16-month-old Charlie. Foster and son travelled to Thailand to make the film, but during the journey the actress began to panic that Charlie would not adjust to his new surroundings.
She told yesterday's Sunday Mirror, "The flight was 24 hours and it was tough. I started to think I should send him home or even quit the move." But Charlie soon settled in and the film began on schedule. Not everything was plain sailing however, for Foster or the movie. Among the hurdles the team on the film needed to overcome were a ban from the Thai authorities on shooting in Bangkok (they were unhappy with the script's approach to their revered King Mongkul), then a fear grew among the predominantly Asian crew that the set was cursed following a number of accidents. Jodie herself cracked two ribs after a fall, and Chinese actress Bai Ling suffered a broken her nose. To ease the tension, director Andy Tennant asked a Bohma, or holy man, to bless the set, cast and crew.